


Catch you around

by Absolute_Gay



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eren Yeager Has Heterochromia Iridum, German! Eren, Multi, multi ships all around
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2018-02-11 06:13:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2056911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Absolute_Gay/pseuds/Absolute_Gay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean Kirstein never expected that the kid he used to torment would end up being the love of his life. But in this story of love and loss, he'l find that the world is cruel. But it is also very beautiful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Catch you around

I could have never seen it coming. How was I supposed to know that I would experience so much love just to have it ripped from my fingers as quickly as it came? 

But, it happened. 

I met Eren Jaeger back in elementary school when he moved to Trost from the small town in Germany where he was from. What struck me about Eren at first, well, were his eyes. He had stunning, mismatched orbs. One a golden more brilliant then the sun and the other was a strange and beautiful mix of blues and greens. Deeper and more intense then the sea. But of course, the other kids made fun of him because of them. And being the little shit I was, I did too. Worse than everyone else. It didn't take long to find out that Eren had anger problems and was extremely confrontational. We had our fair share of fights on the playground. Of course everyone rooted for me, but Eren didn't care. He had exactly two friends, that’s all he needed, he claimed. 

One day, Eren stopped coming to school and barely anyone saw him until we entered 7th grade. When the first day of our first years in middle school rolled around, I was stunned to find Eren Jaeger, sitting in the class room with Armin Alert and Mikasa Ackerman. He pretty much looked the same as he did in the third grade but I was just surprised to see him. Of course, I went back to teasing him and made sure it was even worse when Armin moved away and Mikasa was transferred into an all girl’s school. But Eren was just as quick to fight back as he always was and he claimed he didn’t care. He was fine on his own. In eighth grade, I befriended a boy named Marco Bodt, a kind and gentle soul with dark hair, brown eyes and a plethora of freckles who would discourage me from picking on Eren. Plus, Eren’s new friend, Annie Leonhardt discouraged me as well. She wasn’t gentle or nice like Marco, no. She was a Russian exchange student and was five foot one of pure, unadulterated terror. Thanks to her, no one ever picked on Eren again. Well, they would occasionally, until high school when people like Reiner Braun, a hulking blonde football player, who was actually really sweet, Bertholdt Fubar, a six foot three track star and violinist, and Ymir, last name redacted, who was the tallest girl in school, was in a gang, and was a huge fucking lesbian. She would tell that to everyone she met. Just like that. Anyway, Eren had these people around him and it was like an impenetrable wall of fuck off. So, I backed off of the German kid and didn’t speak to him for years. 

In fact, the next time I spoke to Eren was when I saw him working at a bakery my sophomore year of college. “Eren Jaeger?” I asked when I saw him behind the counter. Eren blinked those magnificent eyes and gave a half smile. “Jean Kirstein. Never thought I’d see you again. “He muttered. Years in the states had really worn down his accent but it was still noticeable when he said certain words. My last name was one of them. “What can I get you?” I tore my eyes away from his to look down at the display. Everything looked incredible. “I’ll get some of that carrot cake.” I answered, to which he just nodded and carefully removed a slice for me. “Is that it?” Eren asked. “…No, I have a question.” The other male looked at me with an eyebrow raised. “Yes? What is it?” I looked around, the bakery wasn’t too busy this time of day it seemed. There was no line. “When’s your brake? I’d like to catch up.” Now Eren definitely looked skeptical. “Why? It’s not like we’re old friends.” He muttered. “No…” I shrugged. “But, we can be friends now.” The brunette stared at me for a good ten seconds before sighing. “Annie! I’m taking my break.” He called to a familiar blonde who had just emerged from the kitchen. “Fine.” Annie muttered. Eren grabbed himself a slice of chocolate cake and a cup of coffee before leaving his spot behind the counter and coming to my side. I smile at him and he manages a small if not untrusting one. We sit in the far corner of the bakery and start eating. “So, what’s been up, Eren?” I ask. He looks up from his cake and shrugs. “Not much. In my second year of college, Annie and I started working here two months ago.” Eren informed me. “Is she your girlfriend?” I ask. Eren kind of just snorts. “No. No, she isn’t. She’s Mikasa’s girlfriend though.” I blinked. That was unexpected. “You seeing anyone?” I ask Eren. He looks at me for a good minute before answering. “Yeah. His name is Levi, I met him last year.” Well, shit. There goes that plan. “Oh…What are you majoring in?” I ask, trying to get off the subject of Eren’s boyfriend. “Culinary studies. I attend the culinary part of this school.” He muttered, taking a sip of his coffee. “What about you?” Eren asked. “Law.” I answered. 

Things were slow like this for months, years even. But Eren and I grew closer. I was the one to comfort him on the anniversaries of his mother’s death, the one to be there when Levi broke up with him. I was the first one to hug him at graduation and the first one to say bye to him when he left to go back to Germany for a year or two to be with his dad. 

In those two years, Annie opened the restaurant she and Eren would run together, Reiner got signed to a professional football team and started dating Connie, Bertholdt ended up in the New York philharmonic and dating Marco, who moved to New York with Bertholdt and started medical school. Ymir and Historia started living together with Ymir as a tattoo artist and Historia teaching choir in the local high school. And I finished law school, set on stating at a local firm.   
The next time I saw Eren was at Annie and Mikasa’s wedding. I decided that it was time for us to start going out. He agreed. 

We dated for three years before I proposed.  
Our wedding was a small affair, but I wouldn’t have changed one thing about it. 

Five years into our married life, we adopted two kids. One named Hanji, who was loud and rambunctious and full of life, the other named Erwin, who was quiet and serious, shy really. But we loved them and with time, they both grew to love us.   
Fifteen years into our married life and Eren got diagnosed with brain cancer. I couldn’t believe it. Eren was always so healthy… But it just struck him. There was little we could do for him, they found it too late in his life to stop it. Eren was going to die.   
On the morning of December 12, I was late to work because Eren insisted I make love to him. I was hesitant, but Eren was stubborn and I didn’t regret being late to work that day. After work, I picked Hanji and Erwin up from their after school activities, calling out to Eren when we arrived home. There was no answer. So, thinking he was asleep, I went up to our room to find him lying there. Completely still. Dead. I screamed in horror, taking his cold body into my arms with a broken sob. Erwin and Hanji had run up the stairs and shared in my horror and despair. Erwin, who was masterful in keeping himself calm, managed to find a letter then Eren had written us and read it aloud. 

“To my family,  
I’m so sorry to leave you like this. I didn’t want to tell you when I was expected to die because I wanted my last days to be filled with happy memories. And they are. I’m sorry for my selfishness in this matter. But this is what I wanted. I love you all so much. Hanji, be whoever you want to be. Whether a girl or a boy or both or neither, don’t be afraid to be who you are. Because you are so amazing. So smart and so full of promise, I know you’ll make me proud. Erwin, my handsome Erwin, you’re going to break so many hearts. Try and lighten up a little bit, but continue to work hard and I know you can be whatever you want to be. I love you both. Jean, words cannot express my love and gratitude for you. You’re my light and my life. You were such a jerk, but god, I loved you. I always will love you and I will always be here for all of you. Do not despair, please. Be happy, that’s all I want for you. Please. Please be happy.   
I love you all, goodbye.  
Yours in eternity,   
Eren Jaeger Kirstein   
P.S. Catch you around, horseface. 

Ten years after Eren’s death, Erwin was married to a man named Mike and was a professor of history at an Ivy League school. Hanji had met a wonderful woman named Petra and was now a head researcher at Trost industries. We all moved on with our lives, just as Eren wanted. But I still thought of him every day. And as I felt my own life diminishing, I smiled and thought of his bright, mismatched eyes, smiling at me. “I’m coming, Eren.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry I killed him.


End file.
